Wait list blow-out reflects demand

Pam has been at the Daily Mercury since March 2013 and has also worked as a journalist in Batemans Bay and Wellington both in NSW. And yes, that does make her a Blues supporter. Growing up she moved around different places including Sydney, Moree, Wollongong and lived for about two years as a high school student on a small island in Micronesia called Pohnpei. Pam loves water sports, including SCUBA diving, snorkelling and kayaking but her awful balance means she’ll never touch a surf board. Ever...

A SEVERE shortage of pre-schools is causing Mackay parents to place their children on waiting lists for kindergarten as soon as they're born.

Startling figures show Australia has one of the lowest enrolments in preschool education in 38 countries and lobby group Save our Schools national convener Trevor Cobbold said Queensland was partially to blame.

He said in 2011-2012, only 39% of Queensland children were at preschool before they started full-time school, figures he got from a Productivity Commission report on government services.

This was compared to 55% in NSW, around 100% in Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania and 92% in South Australia.

East Mackay Preschool Association teacher and director Melanie Doyle said kindergarten facilities were in such demand that parents put their children's names on waiting lists when they were born.

"There are so few quality kindergarten programs," she said. "They're in demand. We still have inquiries about getting kids in for this year but, of course, we're full, we can't take anymore."

Mackay Kindergarten and Preschool Association co-director and teacher Kylie Goodwin said it was sad not every child was getting the kindergarten experience.

"I think that every child has a right to be able to go to kindergarten and I know how rich the environment is to learn in. I think it's sad not everyone can get involved in it. The goal would be for everywhere to have enough kindergartens to service everybody."

A mother herself, Ms Goodwin said kindergarten was a vital year in education.

"They learn skills that enable them to have a successful year in Prep. A good quality kindergarten program engages children and enables them to extend their own learning. It's not just playing."

Ms Goodwin said it was hard to judge enrolment figures for the state because every area was different.

"The media always goes on about the waiting lists, but sometimes it's not a true reflection. Sometimes people put their children's names down when they're infants, but then they move."

TEACHING TIPS:

Can't get your child into kindy? Here are some of Kylie Goodwin's tips to prepare your child for Prep:

Reading.

Nursing them in a rich learning environment. "I don't just mean learning their ABCs," Ms Goodwin said. "In nursing your children in a rich learning environment they learn from their everyday experience."